Estrés organizacional y salud en funcionarios de centros de atención primaria de una comuna de Santiago / Perceived work characteristics and coping strategies that predict distress among workers at primary health care centers

Background: Demands on primary health care services in Chile are increasing. The staff perception of specific sources of tension at work is not known. This knowledge is necessary to avoid preventable health problems caused by distress. Aim: To identify specific work stressors in primary health care facilities and to examine individual characteristics that could mediate their effects on health. Material and Methods: We evaluated organizational stressors (Perceived Work Characteristics for Health Services Survey), personal characteristics (Work Locus of Control Scale, Ways of Coping Check List) and distress (Goldberg General Health Questionnaire, Cooper Stress Symptoms Checklist) in a representative sample of 129 workers of 5 public Primary Health Care Centers of a borough in Santiago. Results: Women and non-professional personnel reported more psychological and physical stress symptoms. Regression analysis showed that work stressors significantly explained the variance of psychological (26%) and physical (28%) distress symptoms. Perception of more role conflicts, less support of peers and superiors and less workload were predictors significantly associated with higher stress outcomes. Avoidance coping strategies were associated with more distress and mediated the effect of organizational stressors on health. Conclusions: We identified the groups at risk of stress in Primary Health Care Centers and specific sources of tension in the organization, as well as individual risk factors. Both should be addressed in interventions to reduce distress and prevent consequences on health.

Estrés laboral y salud en una muestra de ejecutivos chilenos / Occupational stress and health in a sample of chilean executives

Background: Most individual and organizational costs related to job stress are due to preventable health problems. To study the impact of occupational stress in Chile, an instrument that evaluates the different variables involved in the stress process is required. Aim: To study the effects of work stressors and psychological variables on health among Chileans managers. To study reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI-2). Subjects and methods: A translated version of the OSI-2 was applied to a sample of 264 white-collar managers. Results: A high frequency of symptoms was reported by our sample. Back pain was the most frequently reported symptom in managers with high levels of stress. Regression analysis showed that, together, work stressors and psychological characteristics significantly explained self-perceived mental (27,6 percent) and physical (22,9 percent) health variance. Responsibilities of the executive role were the stressors most highly associated with poor stress outcomes. The psychological variables most strongly correlated with mental and physical health were Problem-focused Coping and the subscale Impatience of Type A Behavior. The reliability and validity of the OSI-2, Spanish version, were reasonably high. Conclusions: The transactional model of work stress was confirmed in a sample of Chilean managers evaluated with the Spanish version of the OSI-2